A123 plugs into global battery market

From mobile devices to hybrid and electric cars, growing demand for stored power is driving battery technology development and the scaling of battery manufacturing. Battery design and manufacture also have become a strategic battleground in the emerging energy technology industry.

In the U.S., A123 Systems has quickly evolved from hot startup to the largest battery maker in North America. By supplying a key energy technology that gives the country a foothold in a strategic global market, A123 also could be one of the best hopes for reviving U.S. manufacturing. “Our goal is to create an entire [battery] ecosystem,” says CTO and co-founder Bart Riley.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government is pouring huge amounts of money into development of a battery industry infrastructure. The Asian giant’s nascent electric vehicle industry will be a steady customer, driving volume manufacturing that will help relatively inexperienced Chinese manufacturers move up the battery technology learning curve.

In Japan, battery technology development has been driven by the explosion of mobile devices requiring unique battery form factors and longer-lived power sources, as well as by the rise of hybrid and electric vehicles. Japan’s neighbor and rival South Korea is also powering up its battery design and manufacturing R&D; again, electric vehicles will be a key demand driver.

For much more on the global battle for supremacy in next-generation battery technology, including a global who's who of battery makers, we invite readers to sample EE Times Confidential, our new subscription-based publication.

I was worried that A123 would be slow to ramp up, so it's good to see them hit this level of production in a relatively short time. I'm also glad an oil company didn't buy them out and suppress the LiFePO4 technology. The People's Republic of China seems to be appropriately named. Now if the US could just adopt more populist policies.

Any of you have been on the EVS25 conference in Shenzhen last week? This was very enlightening for me as an engineer. I learned that Asia is moving in a direction that makes above discussions irrelevant. Especially the view from the USA is ignored there. So, stop bickering about this or that brand, get back to the facts and look over the border whats happening, here in EU and Asia. What is striking about asian development is 1. they put the money where their mouth is regarding electrical transportation, and 2. they create jobs that fulfill the needs, 3. they are with their backs against the wall regarding a massive migration wave from country villages to supercities, an unprecedented event. They are interested in local, clean, e-technology, and Japan, Europe and also US can provide good things. We have to learn to listen before we shout. Best regards Henk.

A123 has been mentioned as a source of energy storage for smart grids (e.g. in Chile) but most of the PHEV and EV cars seem to have selected other battery vendors. Are there technical considerations that favor different Lithium Ion battery technologies (e.g. A123 Nanophosphate™ technology) in different applications?

I welcome battery developments and hope that we can have not just recyclable batteries but rechargeable batteries that do not degrade with repeated recharging. The big hidden cost in electric vehicles and off grid power solutions is the recurring battery replacement costs. Until the technology for high capacity, high recharge/no degrading, low cost batteries has been developed we will continue to be short circuited in our quest for green power solutions. Even the best solar or wind generation needs to be stored for peak power needs and the times when darkness/no wind hinders power harvesting.

I can't agree more about articles being just teasers for a paid version.
If this trend continues, people will just see that a story is on eetimes.com and just look elsewhere.
Being surrounded by ads while reading one will get old fast. I hope continuing with this model gets further thought.

Actually, Dams are great for storing energy at night.
They don't need to produce excess energy at night because they can simply shut the intake gates to the turbines. Some already do, and many more could be retrofitted to pump the water back up into the reservoir at night to actually store excess energy from other sources such as wind turbines.

It will be a shame if many articles on EE Times become teasers for EE Times Confidential. It would certainly then leave a market opportunity for other technology sites that write complete articles using an ad based model or standard trade publication subscription rates.
Is the fact that A123 received Energy Dept. assistance really confidential? I seem to remember having read that on numerous freely available sources.

I believe the new age battery (denser, longer-lived and recyclable) is the key component to the next generation of power distribution in our world. We have worked for a nearly century to create a way to distribute power from geographically focused, power generation centers. The next-gen battery will allow us to store energy (from any source; old-tech or energy harvested) at the ends of this distribution network - in our garages at night and in our work's parking lots during the day, to level out the demand spikes and become one giant, evenly distributed array of "bulk caps" on a "PC board".